Related Links: About MVNU | 2010-11 Lecture/Artist Series | Calendar

The film chronicles the experiences of two Somali Bantu families who, after spending more than a decade in a Kenyan-based refugee camp by fleeing the civil war in Africa, receive the astonishing news that they will be immigrating to America. Leaving their land that had been experiencing oppression for over 200 years, two Muslim families travel to a new land that presented its own hardships: Aden and Madina, sponsored by Jewish Family Service, settle in the mill-town of Springfield, Mass.; while Arbai Barre Abdi and her children Khadija, Sahara, Mainun and Said settle in Atlanta.

Many family members, including Madina, who had spent nearly 13 years in various camps, see the transition as bringing fresh rain to their lives after the long drought they’ve endured (" rain in a dry land ” ). The film follows the families on their separate, but similar, struggles as they realize that America does not provide the divine opportunities for poor immigrants for which it is known. They face a new hardship, an urban America tainted by racism and too devoted to individualism and technology to provide foreigners with any help. After struggling to sustain themselves financially and learn the language, the families face the threat of losing their homes.

The film, headed by director Anne Makepeace, raises the question of whether such relocation programs, for all their good intentions, are the best way to deal with the world's mounting refugee crises. " Rain in a Dry Land ” has been shown in more than 25 countries over the past four years, winning multiple awards in the process. Certain resettlement organizations use the film in cultural orientation classes. In an effort to educate the public and inspire dialogue concerning the immigrant situation, filmmaker Makepeace found the experience to be personally transforming and hopes it will do the same for those who watch it.

This concert will feature solo piano works written by women composers since the year 2000 which fluctuate between different levels of texture and transparency, sound and approach, and duration. Some pieces develop from the format of children’s songs, salsa, blues, rave music and alternative rock, while others return to the foundations of sonata, ballade, toccata and etude. Despite the diversity in musical approaches, all pieces feature an authenticity that, when performed, create a web of patterns and obsessions.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information on the artist, visit http://www.pbs.org/pov/raininadryland/. For more information about this event or the Lecture/Artist Series, call (740) 397-9000, ext. 4341, or visit www.mvnu.edu/lectureartist.

Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a private, four-year, intentionally Christian teaching university for traditional age students, graduate students and working adults. U.S. News & World Report ranks MVNU in the top 50 Best in the Midwest (Baccalaureate) institutions for the fifth year in a row. With a 400-acre main campus in Mount Vernon, Ohio, and eight additional satellite Adult and Graduate Studies sites throughout the state, MVNU emphasizes academic excellence, spiritual growth and service to community and church. MVNU offers an affordable education to more than 2,500 students from 25 states and six countries/U.S. territories.